Growing Up Ugly
by mackenzie.cooper1994
Summary: Isabella Marie Swan. That is my name. Everybody calls me Bella though, or they used to. This is my crazy, messed-up life story. This autobiography about me describes how I went from an ugly duckling into becoming a graceful swan, the irony was not caught on me, and the results of this blooming change. Now let's get on with my story.
1. Chapter 1

**Growing Up Ugly**

**Chapter One- Introduction to the Ugly Duckling**

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Isabella Marie Swan. That is my name. Everybody calls me Bella though, or they used to. This is my crazy, messed-up life story. This story is about how I went from an ugly duckling to becoming a swan, the irony was not caught on me, and the results of this blooming change. Now let's get on with the story.

I began my life in the usual way, my mother had me in the hospital, my dad cut the cord, and my brother was extremely protective of his little sister. The only thing wrong, I was ugly. Most people grow out of the ugly duckling stage but I wasn't most people. I had god awful black, plastic frames as glasses, icky braces, and short mousy hair that was in a terrible bob that looked horrendous on my face. I also had braces that seemed magnetic to any food that somehow made its way into my mouth. My biggest issue was my weight. During my childhood everyone had always told me that I was perfect but I knew that they were just saying that. I was ugly and nothing anybody said could change that fact.

I had an amazing family and friends regardless of my little issue. My family consisted of my father, Charlie Swan, my mother, Renee Swan, and my older brother by five years, Emmett Swan. All of them seemed to not have the "ugly duckling" gene which I thought was completely unfair. We were a perfect family, the four of us, until everything came out into the open but more on that little "event" later.

I also had incredible friends that were very mixed into my family. The Cullen family had been friends with the Swan family for as long as I can remember. My father and mother went through school together with Dr. and Mrs. Cullen or as we call them Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle and Esme had a son and a daughter. Edward was the oldest child of the two children; he was the same age as Emmett, five years older than me. Alice was their last and only daughter, my best friend and the same age as me. We all went to school together and were the best of friends much like our own parents.

My younger years went along without much difficulty except the constant teasing about being "four eyes", being overweight, and having awful mousy brown hair. I had an amazing best friend and two older boys who were constantly looking over me. Everything was as it usually was until I had hit my middle school years. As most people know the middle school years are tough on anybody and especially on someone who has trouble with their body image. Everyone at school would call me names and put me down but I always had my family and the Cullen's to help me through, until I didn't.

Halfway through my sixth grade year I found out the news that would change my life, family, and friends forever.

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**A/N: I apologize for the shortness of this beginning but I really had to end it there to give it a sort of cliff hanger feel. This is my first ever fanfiction so reviews are much appreciated. Please tell me what I can do to improve my writing or what I am doing well. I hope you enjoy this story and the next chapters will be much longer I promise!**

**Over and out y'all,**

**Mackenzie**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the story line. Everything belongs to Stephanie Meyer, I just make her character do what I want.**

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**A/N: I would like to thank everyone for the reviews and for the favorites and follows:0) I would like you all to know that chapter 1 through chapter 3 will all be in the past and that after that we will get into present time. Hope you enjoy the second installment of Growing Up Ugly! Enjoy!**

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Halfway through my sixth grade year I found out the news that would change my life, family, and friends forever.

The day of February 15, 2002 started off as my days usually do. I woke up at exactly 6:30 am, took a shower, got dressed, and went down to eat breakfast. As I was finishing up my breakfast of Cinnamon flavored Pop tarts Emmett walked down the stairs lazily dressed and ready for the day. Emmett drove and dropped me off at the Forks Middle School before he went on to his school. I walked into school and went directly to the library. I waved at the librarian and then started reading my favorite book, _Wuthering Heights_ by Emily Bronte. I lost myself in the woes of Heathcliff and Catherine. In the mornings I always spend my time in the library because nobody bothers me there and its one of the only places open an hour before school starts. After my hour of reading I pulled myself away and met Alice by my locker where we then walked to homeroom together. As I was sitting down in homeroom my name was called and I was needed in the office.

During my long walk to the office I thought about what they might have needed me for. I thought that they might have taken my request about volunteering in the office to heart and they were going to let me do it. I was so set that going to the office was a good thing and then I got there.

When I arrived at the office I saw my grandparents talking to Mrs. Cope, the office secretary. This is very unusual because my dad's parents live in London and London is quite a bit away from Forks, Washington. This should have been the first sign that something was wrong. They then stopped talking as soon as they saw me and my grandmother or Nana, as I called her, looked at me with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Isabella! Sweet heart, I love you. What are we going to do with you? Awe, come give your Nana a hug." My nana told me.

I told her that, "I don't understand what you're saying Nana. What happened? Are you okay? What is going on?"

She then told me that we were not going to discuss it here because we were going to miss our flight. This news made me incredibly confused because I didn't remember my parents telling me that our grandparents were coming to visit or that I was going to go visit them. This should have been the second sign that something was wrong. My parents and I always talked about what was going on.

Mrs. Cope waved good bye to me as my grandparents escorted me out and we bypassed my locker much to my dismay because my book was being held hostage there. My grandparents did not talk the whole way to their car nor did we once we got into the car and started to drive. As we passed the high school I wondered why we weren't picking up Emmett. When I asked my grandmother this she told me that everything would come to be known soon. I didn't know what this meant either so I settled in and just watched as the rainy scenery went by. This should have been the third sign that something was wrong. I never go anywhere without my brother or at least I don't usually get out of school when my brother doesn't.

I realize now that I should have seen the signs and been more forceful in demanding answers but I was only in sixth grade and what sixth grader, no matter how much they enjoy learning, wants to question the fact that they are being pulled out of school early.

As weird as it sounds now, I didn't say anything even as we pulled up to the airport in Seattle or when we were checking in at the airport for an international flight or when the TSA officer was checking over my passport and putting a stamp for England in it. I didn't question my grandparents, I just went along. I think even then before I knew what was going on that I knew something was wrong and that I should just go along. Even though I know now what happened and that my grandparents were trying to just do what was best for me I still wish I would have stayed and faced the music.

When the plane took off I thought about my family and how I should have been going to lunch now and I thought about how Emmett would be sending me a stay strong text while Edward sent me a smiley face text. I had always had a huge, mega, triple watt crush on Edward but he was a junior or 11th grader and I was only a 6th grader. I also thought about how awful I looked at the moment with my puppy shirt and grey sweats with my rainbow sneakers. Nobody could ever like me especially Edward.

While I was thinking through this I realized how tired I was and I fell fast asleep against my grandpa's shoulder. I slept through the whole flight and only woke up as the pilot was telling us that we were about to touch down in London.

Again I stress that I should have been aware what was going on and not have been so calm about this whole taking me to a different country without my parents but I wasn't and that was my fault.

We landed in London and got off the plane, collected our luggage, and then headed on our way to my grandparents townhouse. The whole way there I was quiet but I knew as soon as we got there that I would be asking a lot of questions because I was really starting to miss my mom and dad.

As we walked into the house my grandmother told me to make myself at home and I completely burst. I was confused and hurt and I needed answers. I realized that whatever was going on had to be a big thing and I needed to ask. I was in London for goodness sake. As my grandma realized that I had had enough she told me we should sit down in the lounge. I sat in the settee while my grandparents sat across from me on the sofa. I knew that something was about to happen but I obviously didn't know what.

My grandparents sat down and told me everything. As my grandmother explained that my mother, the person I trusted the most, cheated on my father with Phil Dwyer, a world renown actor, my heart dropped down to my knees. I was extremely upset and not just because my mother kept a secret from me but because she ruined a family that was so perfect.

I learned that as soon as my father found out about the affair he worried about me first. He called my grandparents, his parents, and had them come down here and take me to England. He then told them that they should wait until they got me to England to tell me anything. They told me that he wanted to protect me for when the affair broke out into the open. Phil Dwyer is the famous actor for the hit movie series, Sun Down, which was about a vampire that had wondered the Earth for hundreds of years looking for his mate until he finally came across her who was a mortal. This was one of my absolute favorite book series and favorite movies.

It also bothered me that my father chose to send me away instead of keeping me there. Right now I really needed my family. I was offended because he was only 22! My mother was dating someone who was only 11 years older than me and only 5 years older than my brother. I missed my brother and my dad and even my mom.

My nana tried to explain to me that my father had my best interests at heart and that he was just trying to save me and keep me away from the paparazzi. I guess I knew that he was trying to protect but it still hurt that he thought I couldn't handle it but Emmett could. I also didn't know why he would take me away from my second family, the Cullen's, or my best friend, Alice, or even from my eternal crush, Edward. I didn't know how long I was staying here.

As much as my dad and grandparents tried to protect me and keep me safe I still broke down. I would name this next year from February 15, 2002 to February 15, 2003 the "transition" year. The week after I was told the news was the worst I have ever experienced. I stopped eating, I stopped sleeping, I stopped talking, I was not leaving. My grandparents were so worried about me that they took me to a hospital. I stayed in the hospital for three weeks and those three weeks helped me put everything into perspective.

I checked out of the hospital as a new person, I didn't care about my family or friends, I was me and that was all I cared about. I got letters, texts, and phone calls from everyone, even my mother, but I didn't answer, I was stubborn but I also wanted to start anew. I was happy that nobody had found out where I was, I was happy that the paparazzi didn't know where I was and I was even happy that my family didn't know where I was.

I remember how much everyone begged me to come home. I started to wonder whether my father told them that it wasn't my choice to leave. I didn't correct them though because I was a new person and I didn't want to look back on the past. I was looking toward the future and only the future for now on.

Eventually everything stopped though and as much as I didn't want to admit it, it hurt. It hurt that they didn't care enough to keep contacting me even though I didn't respond. I guess what hurt the most though was when Edward stopped sending me texts. You could say that I just had a little bit of puppy love towards Edward but I knew that it was much bigger than that. I assume people knew that I had a crush on him but I know that we could never happen even though I really wanted us to happen. You could also say that I didn't contact anybody because I really didn't want to have to go back to my life in Forks anymore. I was finally away from the bullying and away from all of that hurt. I had a great support system there but here I didn't need one here because I was a whole new me. I was also holding back hope that possibly I could change enough here for Edward to return his feelings towards me.

My nana introduced me to her two best friends who then in turn introduced me to their two granddaughters. Little did they know that they had just introduced me to my two new best friends.

Zafrina and Charlotte were exactly the kind of people I needed to start anew. These two were the ones who started my transition from an ugly duckling into a blossoming swan.

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this quick update and much longer chapter! Will probably be updating almost everyday since I am on break but once I am off it will be a bit slower. Enjoy your holidays and remember reviews are my favorite treat!**

**Over and out y'all,**

**Mackenzie**


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